Rent Calculator
$0.00 affordable rent / month
How Much Rent Can You Actually Afford?
The most widely used guideline is the "30% rule": spend no more than about 30% of your gross (pre-tax) monthly income on rent. This calculator applies that ratio to your income, then checks a second limit — your total debt-to-income (DTI) ratio, which is what most landlords and leasing offices actually screen for using pay stubs and credit reports. Your realistic affordable rent is the lower of the two figures, since exceeding your DTI limit can cause an application to be rejected even if the rent alone looks affordable.
Why the Debt-to-Income Check Matters
If you're already carrying a car payment, student loans, or credit card minimums, those obligations compete with rent for the same paycheck. Many landlords cap total recurring debt (including rent) at 40% of gross income. Entering your other monthly debt payments here shows whether that limit — not the simple 30% rule — is actually your binding constraint.
Splitting Rent With Roommates
If you're sharing a unit, the "per roommate" figure divides the affordable rent evenly among everyone in the household (including you) so you can gut-check whether a given listing fits your combined budget. Utilities are estimated separately since they're often split differently than rent (by usage or headcount) and aren't included in either affordability ratio. Once you've settled on a target rent, use the budget calculator to see how it fits alongside your other monthly expenses, or the debt ratio calculator for a deeper look at your overall debt load.
Frequently Asked Questions
How much of my income should go to rent?
The common guideline is no more than 30% of your gross (pre-tax) monthly income. This calculator uses that as a default, but you can adjust the percentage since some budgets, cities, or savings goals call for a stricter or more lenient target.
Why does the calculator show a lower affordable rent than 30% of my income?
If your other monthly debts (car payments, student loans, credit cards) push your total debt-to-income ratio above the limit you set (commonly 40%), that debt-to-income cap becomes the binding constraint instead of the simple 30% income rule, since that's typically what landlords actually check.